Down and Out
by PhantomsPretzels
Summary: Tahno has lost his bending and more or less, his life. He is completely alone, without friends, family or even a place to call home, until a young firebender named Hotaru comes to his rescue. Through her compassion, Thano begins to learn that when you hit rock bottom, the only place to go is up.
1. Chapter 1

When you lived in the down and out of Republic City, it wasn't uncommon to see people lying facedown in the gutter, especially after a weekend. One too many Fire Bloods down at the Turtle Duck, and you were getting married to a cobblestone the next morning. It usually didn't take very long for whoever it was to haul themselves to their feet and skulk into an alleyway to fight off their hangover, if the authorities didn't reach them first. However, penalties for "drunken misconduct" were hardly even firm, let alone severe. The local police were just as rough and tumble as the citizens they protected, most of them non-benders with several minor charges they needed to work off with volunteer hours.

This is where Hotaru found herself Monday morning; patrolling the dingy streets and helping the leftover evening revelers find their way back home. It was a humdrum job at best, the Melting Pot, a jumble of haphazard apartment buildings and market stalls, wasn't exactly your dictionary definition of dangerous. The residents were poor and bedraggled looking but certainly not threatening.

As the streetlights began to flicker out and pale rays of morning sunshine began to peek over the edge of the nearest stone building, Hotaru was escorting a still slightly inebriated man home. He was well dressed, though his finery was ragged from partying. Hotaru guessed from his attire that he had once been a worker at Hiroshi's factory. Though with the pervious owner on hiatus and his only heir nowhere to be found, the ex-entrepreneur's employees began to haunt the streets more and more often.

_Oh well, _the young woman thought as the young man proceeded to vomit near the curb _more possibilities for the rest of us._

"Hey firebrand" a familiar voice called out. "Having any problems?"

Hotaru turned her attention away from her charge long enough to pull a face at the passing officer. He was young and handsome in a rough sort of way, with shaggy black hair and jewel green eyes. The cuffs of his uniform were worn and he was wearing a non-regulation knit cap, which was a bright, startling orange and peppered with holes.

" Jin, please. The day I can't handle some washed up nob is the day you marry a boarqupine." She quipped

"I'll take that bet." Jin said and playfully ruffled his friend's close-cropped black hair. He bent over and began to pull the other young man upright "There's a…gentleman we found down by Market Square earlier. If I take care of the Puke Bender over here, do you think you could give the rookies a hand? He's been giving them a bit of trouble."

Hotaru reached over her shoulder and slid her Bending Board out of its sling. She had made the contraption herself; welding together scrap metal to create a rounded sheet with two, smooth holes at either end. Powered by fire bending, Hotaru used her abilities to generate a wave of heat that allowed the device to float. It was, without a doubt, the fastest way travel. The young woman stepped on the board and let loose two jets of flame from either fist, slowly rising into the air. She turned her head to wink briefly at Jin.

"Then I'll give him some trouble."

"Mmmmmmmmmfghthhhhhrghhh"

For the past ten minutes, this was the only response Hotaru had been able to get from the sodden lump sprawled on the side of the street. A rather attractive, fashionably clad lump, but a sodden lump nevertheless. Hotaru paused for a moment, and then reached over, prodding the figure's side with the toe of her boot. It flailed temporarily, a mass of pale, waving limbs before becoming limp once more, still facedown on the cobblestone. Hotaru looked at her fellow officers, all men in beginner's uniforms, rookies. They shrugged at her, their eyes helpless and all unanimously pleading _please, don't get me fired!_

With a sigh, the young woman toed the individual again, jabbing harder

"Get up." She ordered.

"Leave me alone to die." Came the sullen response. From its deep voice, Hotaru guessed that it was actually a _he, _and a seriously hung over one at that. She dismissed the other officers with a wave of her hand. They shuffled eagerly off, perfectly happy to leave the problem in more capable hands. Hotaru leaned over and shook the young man's shoulders, hard. He only flailed some more before he rolled onto his side and proceeded to curl up into a ball. She studied him for a moment, taking in his matted black hair and extremely pale skin, which was exposed where his silk shirt and pants didn't quite meet. Taking a deep breath, the young firebender stretched out an open palm and let loose a volley of sparks on that one vulnerable inch.

"Ywwwwwoooooooooootch!" releasing a very effeminate squeal, the young man leaped into the air and ran around in small tight circles, clasping his hands to his back. It only took Hotaru an instant to nab him by the collar. She hung on tightly as he thrashed, spindly legs flapping about in midair.

"Who, what, how?!" A leather shoe went flying and landed several feet away with a dull thud. Eventually, Hotaru's victim quickly quieted, realizing he was only wrecking any hope he had of maintaining what little dignity he had left. Hotaru released her grip and the young man tumbled back to the ground, falling with a soft splash in a puddle of mud.

"Who are you?" he demanded, spitting muck.

"Your worst nightmare." Hotaru responded, rolling her eyes at his theatrics "Is it possible that you have somewhere else to be? Because I know I certainly do."

"How dare you!" the young man rose unsteadily to his feet, trying to brush the dirt from his clothes. Unfortunately, his hands were also covered in mud, which made the brown smears worse. His hair was standing on end in a way that was almost comical and there were dark, heavy bags under his piercing blue eyes. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"No." Hotaru said flatly. A crowd had begun to gather and stare, hoping for a fight. Hotaru could feel their energy buzzing, and it set her on edge. Her sense of patience was short on good days, and this jerk's pompous attitude wasn't helping matters. She created a small spurt of flame, flicking the fireball back and forth across her fingertips. It wasn't meant to be an overly intimidating move, just enough to let him know she meant business, that was all. So it was no wonder that Hotaru was shocked when the young man dropped to his knees, hands held forth in defeat.

"Fine. Whatever. Arrest me" He said dejectedly "Because I'm afraid I don't know who I am either."

Hotaru froze, completely at a loss as to what to do next. She had seen some people who had fallen on tough times; you couldn't live in the big city without it. But there was never anyone like this. Here was a man who had clearly lost everything. As she stared into his pale, almost colorless eyes she wondered, what would it be like, to be completely alone in the world? To know that there was nobody, anywhere, who cared about you, at all? To be so lost that you didn't even care about yourself? The young woman felt her resolve soften, ever so slightly.

A collective gasp fluttered through the crowd as Hotaru made her way towards the young man. Arrests were a rare thing; the rumor mill was already beginning to turn. Hotaru took the handcuffs from her belt, unclasped the metal rings and…dropped them to the ground.

She reached over and pulled the young man back up, slinging his arm across her shoulders. The street was dead silent, devoid of human voice as everyone watched in utter disbelief.

"What-what are you doing?" he stuttered

"Saving your sorry behind" Hotaru said, refusing to stagger under the extra weight. "Don't you dare make me regret it."


	2. Chapter 2

"So, this is the kitchen, don't touch, and my bedroom, also don't touch."

Hotaru snuck at glance at her new houseguest, wondering how he would respond to her reprimands. In retrospect, allowing a complete and total stranger (Who also appeared to be working part-time as a professional hobo with anger-management issues.) probably wasn't the most logical of choices but Hotaru hadn't earned the nickname "Firebrand" by ignoring her impulses.

The young man hadn't moved from where he stood in the middle of the living room, not that he needed to. The apartment itself was extremely small, if you were putting it nicely. Every single one of the rooms could be seen from the front entrance, with only narrow doorways to obscure the view. The walls were dull orange and chipped, the furniture had been rescued from dumpsters or bought second hand and was practically falling apart, but it was the only home Hotaru had ever known.

"So…you can crash here, for now." She said, gesturing towards the couch. The young man approached it, running his hands across the worn brown sofa like he had never seen one before. With an exhausted sigh, he abruptly flopped facedown on the sagging cushions and resumed a position rather similar to the one Hotaru had found him in moments before.

"Wake me when there's something to eat" he mumbled.

"Oh _hell_ no." Hotaru exclaimed. She reached over and grabbed him by the collar of his tattered jacket.

"What the- hands off!"

"Look, I'm going to make this nice and simple for you." She said, dropping her charge on the floor and crossing her arms. "Yeah, I took you in, my mistake. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to wait on you hand and foot because unlike most people, I'm lucky enough to have a job, make that jobs, actually."

"Uh…"

"And thanks to your little performance this morning, I'm probably going to be late for all of them" Hotaru was zeroing in like a hawk on it's prey. Her guest was on the ground in the most awkward position, somewhere between squatting and lying down, and was skittering backwards away from his psychotic hostess as fast as he could manage.

"If you're going to stay here, you are going pull your weight." She continued, heading in for the kill. "I've worked too long and too hard to have some pompous, obnoxious, self-entitled pretty boy to take it away from me!"

The "pretty boy" was plastered against the wall with Hotaru looming over him, and he looked like he was about to soil his pants.

"Wait." He interjected, bringing Hotaru's rant to a screeching halt. "You really think I'm pretty?"

"What? I-" The tables had suddenly turned. Hotaru began to back up as the young man rose from the floor, brushing dust from his clothes. A slight gleam had crept into his formerly dull eyes, and the slightest trace of a smirk appeared near the corner of his mouth.

"You know how this looks," he said, his voice dropping an octave "A guy and girl together in an apartment, _alone_"

It was Hotaru's turn to be cornered. The young man was advancing on her much more quickly than she would have preferred; she now found herself backed up against the opposite wall and her houseguest was becoming far too intimate with her personal space.

"This is insane." She protested as the young man began to lean forward and braced his arm against the wall "I don't even know you!"

"I can fix that." He whispered and licked his lips. His face was inches away from hers. She could see every feature perfectly defined, the porcelain smoothness of his pale skin, and the slight raise of a scar across his cheek, but it was his eyes that drew her in. They were almost completely devoid of color, just the slightest hints of silver pigment, like sunlight reflecting off a lake. Hotaru's eyes flicked to his mouth, the lips pursed and slightly open, tilting enticingly towards hers. It would be so easy to…

_Okay, enough_ Hotaru thought. In one swift movement, her knee connected with her assailant's groin and she had sidestepped out of the way, heading towards the door before his body even hit the ground.

"How did you-?" he gasped

"There's a lot about me you don't understand." Hotaru responded and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Speaking of which, I didn't catch your name. I always make a habit of being personally acquainted with the guys who's asses I kick."

"Tahno. It's Tahno"

"Tahno huh?" Hotaru asked as she started to leave. "I'm Hotaru. There's food in the cupboards. Try not to wreck anything while I'm gone, and you might just live to see tomorrow."

The door swung shut with a dry click. Tahno heaved slightly and then pulled himself up onto the couch. Despite the searing pain between his legs, there was a smile on the young man's face. Memories began coursing through his mind, another time, another place, another life. He had been one of the most respected benders on the circuit. People had literally fallen before his feet and this girl had managed to down him without even batting an eye. Things were certainly going to get interesting.


End file.
